enlarge, develop, or increase by degrees or in stages; "build up your savings"
form or accumulate steadily; "Resistance to the manager's plan built up quickly"; "Pressure is building up at the Indian-Pakistani border"
prepare oneself for a military confrontation; "The U.S. is girding for a conflict in the Middle East"; "troops are building up on the Iraqi border"
bolster or strengthen; "We worked up courage"; "build up confidence"; "ramp up security in the airports"
change the use of and make available or usable; "develop land"; "The country developed its natural resources"; "The remote areas of the country were gradually built up"